Compressor for jet propelling apparatus



Jan., E?, WSO 1 SHERMAN 2,494,535

COMPRESSOR FOR JET PROPELLING APPARATUS Filed March 9, 1945 2Sheets-Sheet l Jan., i, H50 L. SHERMAN 2,49%@

COMPRESSOR FOR JET PROPELLING APPARATUS File'd March 9, 1945 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 17, 1950 COMPRESSOR FOR JET PROPELLINGAPPARATUS Lewis Sherman, Horseheads, N. Y.

Application March 9, 1945,'Serrial No. 581,841

1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to the jet propulsion of airplanes of atype utilizing the reaction generated by jets of a gaseous substancedischarged from the machine through specially constructed nozzles and inwhich the propelling force is created by the burning of a liquidhydrocarbon and oxygen in a combustion chamber and the ejection of theproducts of combustion through a nozzle with reactive propelling effect.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a heatingchamber for air admitted thereto under pressure and in which the air isexpanded through the medium of burners positioned in the chamber anddischarging the products of combustion through a flared nozzle at therear of the airplane to utilize the reaction exerted by the discharge ofthe products of combustion to propel the airplane.

A still further object of the invention yis to provide power operatingmeans for supplying air under pressure to the heating chamber as well asto utilize the forward momentum of the airplane to build up the airpressure supplied to the heating chamber.

A still further object is to provide an apparatus of this character ofsimple and practical construction, which is efficient and reliable inoperation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise Welladapted to the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein likenumerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which Figure l is alongitudinal sectional View of the fuselage of an airplane equipped withthe jet propulsion mechanism forming the subject of the persentinvention,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional `View of the air inlet tube,

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the heating chamber,

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional View thereof, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the air inlet tube takensubstantially on a line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein for the purpose ofillustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention,the numeral 5 designates the fuselage or cabin of an airplane which maybe of any suitable shape or design and from the opposite sides of whichwings 6 project. A wing structure 'I may also be (Cl. E-122) mountedabove the fuselage and the front upper portion of the fuselage isprovided with a windshield 8 behind which is positioned the pilots seat9.

A tube I0 is positioned longitudinally in the lower portion of thefuselage and projects from the front end thereof with the front end ofthe tube open A shaft II is journalled axially in the tube in spidersI2, one end of the shaft having a bevelled gear I3 attached theretodriven by a similar gear I4 on a shaft I5 connected to an electric motorI6 which is secured in brackets I'I within the fuselage.

Secured to the shaft II are a plurality of fan blades I 8 between whichare interposed relatively small fan blades I9,.all of the fan bladescooperating to draw air into the front end of the tube I0 andcompressing the same in a pair of oppositely-disposed,rearwardly-directed, frusto-conical bifurcations 20 comprising reducedpassages at the rear end of the tube.

.Pipes or tubes 2I are connected to the passages 26 and lead to acontainer 22 forming a heating chamber, the pipes or tubes 2I preferablycommunicating with the heating chamber through diametrically oppositesides thereof.

The chamber 22 is positioned in the rear end of the fuselage and ispositioned vertically therein to provide flat front and rear walls 23and 24. Communicating with the rear wall 24 of the chamber and extendingrearwardly therefrom is a frusto-conical or funnel-like nozzle 25 havingits reduced end communicating with the chamber and with its wide endopening into the atmosphere at the rear or tail of the fuselage.

A fuel tank 26 is supported in the fuselage at the upper portion thereofand from which upper and lower supply pipes 2l and 28 extend andcommunicate with the chamber 22 at points adjacent the pipes 2I. Burnernozzles 29 are attached on the ends of the pipes 2'I and 28 within thechamber, the fuel being supplied to the nozzles 29 from the tank 25 byany suitable pressure means, not shown.

Spark plugs 30 are also positioned in the chamber 22 immediatelyadjacent the nozzles 29 and from which circuit wires 3| extend to aSwitch housing 32 adjacent the pilots seat 9 and from which circuitwires 33 also extend leading to a storage battery 34, or other suitablesource of electrical energy. Circuit wires 35 also extend from themotors I6 into the switch housing, the circuits for the motor and sparkplugs being controlled by a plurality of switch levers 36.

In the operation of the device the fans I8 and I9 are driven by theelectric motor I 6 to force air toward the rear end of the tube l0 Wherethe air is compressed in the restricted passages 20 and then fed by thepipes or tubes 2l to the chamber 22, At the same time fuel is suppliedto the nozzles 29 from the tank 26 and ignited by the spark plugs 3U.

The compressed air is thus expanded as it enters the chamber 22 and isdischarged through the restricted opening of the nozzle 25, the reactionof the force of the air or products of com,- bustion being dischargedfrom the nozzle serving to propel the aircraft forwardly.

The forward movement of the airplane will force air into the open tubeI0 to thus assist the blades I8 and i9 to further compress the air atthe rear end of the tube after the airplane is maintained in flight.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, it,

in the art. A more detailed description thereof is accordingly deemedunnecessary,

It is to be understood, however, that even though I have herein shownand described apreferred embodiment of my invention, that the same issusceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of theinvention as herein described, and the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

An air compressor for a jet propulsion engine or the like, comprising anelongated cylindrical tube having its front end open, the tube beingformed at its rear end to provide a pair only of diametricallyoppositely disposed elongated rearwardly tapering tubular extensions,the rear ends of the extensions being open, the extensions forminglongitudinally rearwardly diverging passages leading from thecylindrical tube, a longitudinally extending shaft rotatably mountedwithin the cylindrical tube near the longitudinal center of the tube andforwardly of the rear tapered extensions, the shaft being arrangedsubstantially at the axial center of the cylindrical tube, thecylindrical tube projecting a substantial distance longitudinallyforwardly of the forward end of the shaft, a plurality of longitudinallyspaced radial blades xedly mounted upon the shaft for rotationtherewith, and mechanical means operatively connected with the shaft forrotating the same.

LEWIS SHERMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,024,274 Campinir Dec. 17,VA1935.- 2,335, 005, Gieskieng et al. NOV.. 23, 1943. 2,372,058 CampbellMar. 26, 19451 FOREIGN rarnrrrsk Number Country Date 293,069, Italy Feb.9, 1932 333,081 Italy Dec. 19,1935

OTHER REFERENCES Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 7l, N0. 2,pp, 3l and 34, found in Rocketsf by Dr. R. H. Goddard.

Rockets and Pseudo- Rockets, by Laurence Manning, in Astronautics, issueof December 1944, page 9.

